Amy DeYoung

Tomas turned 3 in May.  He was born at 28 weeks gestation and then suffered failure to thrive, severe malnutrition, and hydrocephalus.  He has a seizure disorder as well and takes seizure medicine daily.  I have been doing therapy with him for two years now, and the progress he has made is amazing!  He was literally starving to death when I met him.  Now he walks and can squat to pick up toys from the floor!  He is saying more than 20 words in both Spanish and Kaqchikel!

My friendship with Tomas’ mom, Flor, continues to grow deeper, and I praise God that she is growing in her relationship with Jesus Christ!

Our kids finished their final exams this week!  Just look at the smiles of our 2nd graders, and you’ll see they are excited!

It’s always hard to believe another year has gone by.  The Guatemalan school year begins in January and ends in October.  Our sixth grade graduation will be October 19th, and we will have 6 graduates!  The kids will still be coming to school for the next couple weeks to rehearse their songs for the graduation ceremony.  Tomas and all the other kids will keep coming to therapy during their summer break as well.

Yamelin is two and a half, and she’s been coming to therapy for about a year.  She was born premature, blind, has poor muscle tone, and has various mental and physical challenges. 

Since she started therapy, she has learned to sit on her own.  She’s become more alert and now loves to play with toys.  She can’t talk, but she smiles, babbles, and sings in such a sweet, angelic way.  It fills me with joy whenever I’m with her. 

Now she is crawling!!  The last time she came for therapy, her mom was so excited to show me that she had started crawling!  Our eyes both filled with tears as we rejoiced together.  Her mom hadn’t thought this was possible, but now she has so much hope and excitement for Yamelin’s future as she continues to improve in therapy! 

Every year, one of the biggest things our kids look forward to is camp.  This is the 6th year that I’ll be taking a group of our kids to a Christian camp for kids with special needs.  Kids and families from all over Guatemala come back to camp every year, so it’s come to feel kind of like a huge and very special family reunion.  It is truly a week of joy, refreshment, and encouragement for everyone who takes part.  Camp is Monday through Friday, Nov. 20-24.  We’ve chosen 14 kids from our school to go. 

Please pray for safety for each of us. 

Pray for all of the counselors and leaders of the camp - for energy and wisdom, and that all of the details and logistics would go smoothly.

Pray that the Holy Spirit would minister to each person there as they specifically need, and that we would each leave feeling filled, refreshed, and focused on the Lord.

My home church - Crete Reformed Church - has been so supportive to me throughout my 5 years in Guatemala, and now this year, they have had 2 opportunities to come down here and see first-hand what God is doing through our ministry in Santa Maria de Jesus.

In June, they sent down a mission team of 26 dads, moms, and youths for 8 days.  They were a huge help to us with the construction of the school, and it was such a blessing to me personally to get to spend such an amazing week with them here.  They encouraged and affirmed me in more ways than they can know.

Pastor Mark, Bob, Buddy, and Mike came down this past weekend for the dedication.  It meant so much to me to have them here for that joyous day!

Also in June, my brother and sister-in-law (Brian and Carrie) got to come down for the first time.  Our 5 days together were incredibly special and lots of fun also.  There are no words to describe the joy I feel in having those people most dear to me from both of my worlds - from back home and from here in Santa Maria - come together and form new friendships.  God has given me much, and my heart is truly greatful.

All of us at school are very excited for the new building God has given us!  On Sat, Nov. 11, we had a beautiful service to give thanks to God and dedicate the new school. 

Here are some of the highlights for me: 

• Seeing the unity among the parents and all of the work they did to participate in and prepare for the dedication.  There was a real sense of ownership on their behalf.
• The group of mothers who sang a beautiful worship song, “Te Necesito Mas” (”I Need You More”). It was so touching to watch and listen as the words and motions flowed from their hearts unto the Lord.